The Numbers Don’t Lie – Why Video Marketing Wins in 2017

Sticky PostBy On

The digital marketing world is changing every day. Content is cheaper, quicker to find, and easier to consume than ever before. Desktop computers and laptops are being abandoned in favor of smartphones and tablets. And in an ever-growing digital landscape, users are becoming particular about how, when, and where they consume content. What are the masses demanding now? Video, and lots of it.

In years past, video was generally regarded as a medium for building brand equity or giving customers warm fuzzy feelings. While both can be true, there are strategic reasons to utilize video in your content marketing mix. In fact, companies who use video receive 41% more traffic and grow revenue 49% faster every year than those who don’t. It’s not just good PR we’re talking about here, it’s dollar signs.

Below are four specific reasons to use video for your business:

1. SEO

Did you know that having a video on your page actually boosts your SEO? Videos allow you to increase the time visitors spend on your site, which encourages Google to move you up in the rankings. Plus, video is considered part of a good media mix, which also increases your site’s quality score. In fact, if your page has an embedded video, you are 53 times more likely (according toMoovly) to show up on the first page of Google!

2. Conversions

When the end game is conversions (and it usually is), marketers will do just about anything to move potential customers further down the funnel. Could video be the answer? The numbers seem to indicate so. The average conversion rate for a website is 2.9%, but the conversion rate for a website that uses video is 4.8% – a pretty significant jump! Where you position the video is important as well: visitors who watch a video on a product landing page are 80% more likely to make a purchase after watching (Inc.). If you could increase your conversions by 80%, why wouldn’t you?

3. Sharing

Anyone with a social media presence knows that videos are taking over on just about every platform. Whether it’s branded content, live streams, or low quality smartphone videos, they’re everywhere. Videos are easy to share: they stand alone, can often be watched in under 5 minutes, and are generally more entertaining than the same content in text form. So if your business can put out a video that is entertaining and sharable while still communicating your message, customers will do the work of sharing for you. In fact, 76% of users say they would send branded content to friends as long as it was entertaining. If you can hit the sweet spot in video marketing that is entertaining content with a clear message, your video will reach far beyond your own following.

4. Mobile

Video and mobile are a powerful combination. Youtube has reported that mobile video watching has grown by 100% every year (that means double) and continues to be on this rise. As the number of smartphone users increases, mobile video consumption will increase with it. This is why businesses on the forefront of the video marketing movement have been so successful – the demand has been high and will only grow from here.

33% of all online activity was spent watching video in 2016, and that number is projected to grow to 82% by 2020. Video is quickly eating the internet, and if your business doesn’t follow suit, you’ll be snacked on too. If you want marketing that gets results in 2017, bring your content to life in video.